Civil War: Corinth & Shiloh

For our first local roadtrip, we decided to explore Civil War history by visiting the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center in Mississippi and the Shiloh National Military Park in Tennessee. I've been to a couple other Civil War sites before - Gettysburg, Manassas - but there's always more to learn.

The Corinth center had a lot of informative displays and movies, and it explained all the different tensions that had been building the US for quite some time before war finally erupted. There were actually two battles of Corinth. But before the first one really got started, the Confederates slipped out of town under the cover of night, avoiding a full-scale fight. The second one happened a few years later when the Union was occupying Corinth and the Confederates tried to reclaim the town, but they were unsuccessful. The Union victory meant they maintained control over a critical railroad junction for supply and troop movement.

Incidentally, I also found out that "Union" troops can also be called "Federal" or "United States." "Confederates" are also called "Rebels," which I knew.

After touring the historic site, we stopped for lunch at Martha's Menu where we tried the very affordably priced local eats. Something called a "slug burger" was on the menu. After being assured it did not contain actual slugs, we decided to order one. It's a mix of beef, pork, and soybeans that are ground up, formed into a patty, and deep fried. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture. But take my word for it - it was really weird. Apparently slug burgers a delicacy in northern MS. I'm guessing it's an acquired taste.

Our next stop was Shiloh. This is a huge and very well preserved battle field. We rolled in just in time to hear the "boom!" of the cannon demonstration. The visitors' center isn't as nice as Corinth, but they've show a great 45-minute film about the two-day battle that really helps you understand what happened. Shiloh was one of the bloodiest battles in the war. Over 23,000 people were killed, wounded, or went missing. A lot of the deaths occurred after the fighting due to infections and diseases. 

At the park, there is a 20-stop driving tour of important locations. It was a nice day for a drive, except that bugs/bees kept trying to fly in our windows. But I probably shouldn't whine about a few insects, since I have the luxury of cruising around in my Mazda instead of slogging through miles of mud carrying my rifle and trying not to get shot...

 The old Shiloh Church, where the name of the battle came from.

Present day Shiloh United Methodist Church, built in stages over a few decades. You can see how they changed from river rocks to brick construction.

The Tennessee River near Pittsburg Landing, where Union reinforcement arrived after Day 1 of fighting and helped turn the tide in favor of the Union on Day 2.

It was an interesting and informative day exploring our new surroundings!